Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Podcast

Talking Headways Podcast: The Most Exhilarating Transit Ride in America

podcast icon logo

This week's guest is Matt Johnson, a bike planner for Montgomery County, Maryland, and a writer at Greater Greater Washington. Instead of visiting every baseball park or trying out each city’s regional cuisine, Matt rides their rail systems. In fact, he’s ridden every American urban rail system open today (101 total), as shown in this handy spreadsheet.

Matt tells us about his favorite systems and what got him started on his journey to ride them all. We also get into the allure of long-distance Amtrak travel and how the annual #NerdTrain -- a gathering of GGW contributors and friends aboard Amtrak -- got started. And we of course get Matt's take on several DC transit topics including the streetcar, the walkability problem with Tyson’s Corner, and how transit planners choose alignments for new routes.

So tune in and find out which city is home to "The Most Exhilarating Transit Ride in America."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Shoveling a Snowy Sidewalk Is An Act of Resistance

Shoveling a sidewalk in winter is always a critical act of community care — but in an era of government assault on civil liberties, it's also an act of resistance.

February 2, 2026

Monday’s Headlines Are for Alex Pretti

Cyclists banded together in cities across the country to honor the ICE victim.

February 2, 2026

Friday Video: Should We Stop Calling Them ‘Low-Traffic Neighborhoods’?

Is it time for London's game-changing urban design concept to get a rebrand?

January 30, 2026

Friday’s Headlines Yearn to Breathe Free

While EVs aren't the be-all end-all, especially when it comes to traffic safety, they do make the air cleaner. Most of the U.S. is falling behind on their adoption, though.

January 30, 2026

Talking Headways Podcast: One Year of Congestion Pricing

Danny Pearlstein of New York City's Riders Alliance breaks down how advocates made congestion pricing happen in the Big Apple.

January 29, 2026

Improving Road Safety Is A Win For The Climate, Too

Closing the notorious "fatality target" loophole wouldn't just save lives — it'd help save the human species from climate catastrophe, too.

January 29, 2026
See all posts